Managing the Korean entertainment industry: I have superpowers, but I won't say.

Chapter 10 Your Hair is Messy

At the entrance to the M Countdown recording studio, security guards blocked Su Yu like gatekeepers.

"Admission ticket." The security guard held out his hand expressionlessly.

"no."

"No entry without a ticket."

Su Yu didn't argue. He took a step back, took out his phone, and sent a message to Shirley. A few dozen seconds later, a woman wearing a work badge rushed out, her eyes scanning the doorway before landing precisely on him.

"Are you Su Yu?"

Su Yu nodded.

The woman turned and said something to the security guard, whose tense expression relaxed, and he stepped aside to make way. As Su Yu walked past her, he heard her mutter in Korean, "Why doesn't someone with that face become an entertainer?" He didn't turn around.

The door to the lounge was ajar. Shirley sat in front of the vanity mirror while the hairstylist worked on her long, seaweed-like hair. She saw Su Yu in the mirror and a smile played on her lips.

"You actually dared to come."

"I never break my promises."

Su Yu sat down on the corner sofa, his posture casual. Shirley looked him up and down through the mirror, her gaze sweeping from his shoulders to his waist.

"You're dressed quite well today."

The black jacket was a gift from Kim Min-jun, hanging deep in the closet with the tag still on. Last night, Su Yu inexplicably dug it out and put it on, looking at herself in the mirror. The person in the mirror had cold eyes, and the angles of her brow bone and jawline were indeed much sharper than when she wore the hoodie.

"Didn't you tell me to dress nicely?" He leaned back on the sofa, stretching out his legs. "Clothes make the man, and you urge me on."

Shirley chuckled but didn't reply. However, her eyes in the mirror were noticeably brighter than before.

People were coming and going around him; lighting technicians were adjusting lights, stylists were handing out clothes, and assistants were running around with schedules, like a swarm of disturbed ants. Su Yu huddled on the sofa, not looking at his phone or anyone, just staring blankly at the program schedule posted on the wall, studying the Korean abbreviations he didn't quite understand.

Midway through, a few members of the boy band next door pushed open the door to borrow something, and when they saw Su Yu in the corner, their gazes lingered on him.

A boy with dyed gray hair scanned Shirley's face and shoulders several times before turning to ask, "Who's this? Your friend?"

"Um."

"How come I've never seen it before?"

"My friend doesn't need you to have met him."

Shirley didn't look up, the water bottle in her hand squeezing so hard it creaked, leaving a dent in the bottle. The boy raised an eyebrow, glanced at Su Yu again, seemed to say something, opened his mouth but then closed it again.

Su Yu didn't look up the entire time. He didn't even change his posture, still lounging on the sofa. He wasn't deliberately trying to be cool; he just felt that it wasn't his place to speak in this situation. He didn't even know the boy's name, and he would never meet him again.

The man looked away, bored. Shirley released the water bottle, and it slowly sprang back to its original shape.

It was almost 10 p.m. when the performance ended. Sulli removed her makeup, changed into a black hoodie and jeans, and transformed from a queen on stage back into a girl next door. The van was parked at the door, and her manager was impatiently checking her watch.

"You go first, I'll go back by myself."

The manager paused for a moment, his gaze shifting between Shirley and Su Yu. Su Yu, seeing his expression, probably wondered, "Who is this guy?" "Should I report him to the CEO?" "Will we get photographed?" But he didn't ask, simply waving his hand, closing the car door, and driving away.

"Why didn't you take a car?" Su Yu asked.

"I'm tired of sitting here." Shirley pulled her hoodie over her head, tucking her hands into her long sleeves, leaving only her fingertips showing. "It's stuffy in the car, I don't want to stay here. Besides, the weather's nice today, I want to get some fresh air."

"You call a 30-degree night the weather 'nice'?"

"It's cooler than your crappy convenience store. Is your air conditioner fixed yet?"

"It's fixed. But the air blowing out still smells, like something's stale."

"Then why don't you change jobs?"

"What are you going to change to? Can you introduce me to someone?"

The two walked side by side on the sidewalk. The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, making their shadows appear longer and shorter. Shirley didn't speak, and neither did Su Yu, but he noticed that this jacket was indeed quite nice; at least when the wind blew, he didn't feel that bone-chilling cold anymore. With his old, faded hoodie, he would have been curled up in a ball long ago.

Suddenly, several fans with cameras darted out from around the corner, screaming when they saw Shirley. Shirley smiled and waved expertly, but the next second she reached out and grabbed Su Yu's sleeve, pulled his hat brim down, and dragged him quickly through the crowd. She didn't let go until they turned into an empty alley.

"Are you afraid of being photographed?" Su Yu straightened the collar of his coat, which she had pulled askew.

"If you get photographed, just say you're a bodyguard." Shirley tidied her messy hair, stuffing back in a few stray strands that had escaped from her hat.

"Do I look like one? Do I look like a bodyguard? A bodyguard would be at least two sizes bigger than me."

"You look quite convincing in this outfit today." She glanced at him from head to toe. "When someone stands there in black clothes and doesn't say a word, just staring at people, it's really intimidating."

"Then next time, don't say 'friend,' just say 'bodyguard.' That way, your fans won't dox me online."

"You wish. If you were my bodyguard, I'd have to pay you a salary. You can't even afford oden, I'd have to pay you out of my own pocket."

As Su Yu approached the bus stop, he glanced up at the sign.

"The last train has stopped."

Shirley took out her phone and checked, then frowned and swiped the screen a few times. She checked again, but got the same result.

"Take a taxi, I'll take you."

"Need not."

"How are you going to get back by yourself? Walk all the way to Dongdaemun from here?" Her voice rose a half-octave. "Are you out of your mind?"

"It only takes a little over an hour to walk there."

"More than an hour? You walk there and see, it'll be past midnight by then. Aren't you going to work tomorrow?"

"I have a million dollars under my bed, why would I care about that job?"

Shirley thought he was joking and rolled her eyes.

Su Yu didn't reply. He really didn't care about the job anymore, but he hadn't figured out how to tell her yet.

Shirley squatted down to tie her shoelaces, and as she stood up, a gust of river wind suddenly blew over.

The wind along the Han River was relentless, blowing right through you. Shirley's soft hair was instantly whipped around, with a few stray strands sticking to her face. She grabbed at it in frustration, but the more she tried, the messier it became, until finally she gave up and stomped off with her disheveled hair.

"Stop laughing, my hair is almost tangled up," she shouted at Su Yu as she walked away.

I didn't laugh.

Your lips are trembling.

"It was blown by the wind."

Su Yu took a black rubber band out of his pocket and handed it over.

Shirley stopped and looked down at the rubber band in his palm, stunned for several seconds.

"Where did you come from?"

"I found it."

"You're picking up rubber bands on the street? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

"Then consider it as me buying it. I'm a grown man, I can't just go to a convenience store to buy hair ties, can I? What will people think of me?" Su Yu shoved the hair ties into her hand and casually put his other hand back into his pocket.

Shirley stared at the rubber band for two seconds, then looked up at him again. She opened her mouth as if to say something but swallowed it back, finally only muttering, "You're quite thoughtful."

"Better safe than sorry."

"Do you carry around a treasure chest? Next time, could you pull out a sandwich? I haven't had dinner yet."

"I'll try it next time. But sandwiches need to be refrigerated, they spoil easily."

Shirley took it with some skepticism, then skillfully gathered her hair and tied it into a low ponytail. Although some stray hairs were still blowing in the wind, at least they weren't sticking to her face anymore. She bent down to tidy up the few unruly strands.

"You're a really strange person. Everyone else carries wallets and keys in their pockets, but you carry rubber bands."

"My wallet is too heavy, and my keys are too noisy."

"Next time I'll bring a lighter, can you keep it for me?"

"Can't you just put it in your pocket yourself?"

"My pants don't have pockets."

"Then buy a pair of pants with pockets."

"You buy it."

"Why should I buy it?"

"Because you're my bodyguard. Shouldn't a bodyguard be responsible for his employer's living needs?"

"Didn't you just say I was a friend?"

"Friends can also work as bodyguards." Shirley tilted her head and looked at him. "One job, two salaries, that's a win-win situation."

"You already owe me a meal of oden, how are we settling the bill? Cash?"

"Oden is oden, and bodyguards are bodyguards. They are two different things."

"How are the bodyguards' salaries calculated?"

"Just keep doing this, we'll talk about it at the end of the year."

The two continued walking along the road, originally heading to the station. They didn't know who turned first, but they ended up at the Han River.

Shirley leaned on the railing, chin resting on the back of her hand, staring blankly at the flickering lights of the boats on the river. In the distance, the lights of the Banpo Bridge stretched across the water like a luminous dragon. The night wind was strong, making her clothes flutter wildly, and a few stray strands of her neatly tied hair escaped. Su Yu stood beside her, neither of them speaking.

After a long time, Shirley suddenly turned her head and looked at him with bright eyes.

Thank you for today.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for coming to see me. I ran from Dongdaemun to Sangam-dong, crossing half of Seoul, and I wasn't late."

Su Yu was taken aback. He didn't know she could calculate distances.

"I never go back on my word."

"You've promised so many things. Last time you said you'd treat me to oden, and it still hasn't happened." Shirley counted on her fingers. "And you said you'd go to the Han River with me, that's been dragging on for weeks. Do you just promise things and not do them, or do you have a bad memory?"

"I have a bad memory."

"You're lying. Your memory is much better than mine. You remember everything, from when I met you to the day you were late."

Su Yu thought about it and realized that it seemed to make sense.

"I'll make it up tomorrow. Oden, Han River, double compensation."

"You said it. You can't go back on your word."

"Um."

Shirley stared at his profile for a few seconds. The halo of the streetlight shone on his face, making the contours of his brow bone and nose particularly distinct. She suddenly felt her heart skip a beat, and hurriedly turned her head away, her chin still resting on the railing.

"What's wrong?" Su Yu asked.

"Nothing much. My eyes are just dry from the wind."

"Then why are you still lying here blowing?"

"I just want to brag. It's none of your business!"

Su Yu didn't reply. The two remained silent for a while.

The sounds of wind and water mingled together, and someone was singing in the distance. The lyrics were indistinct, but the slow melody drifted over on the wind.

"Let's go." Shirley straightened up and patted the dust off the railing.

"Not blowing anymore?"

"If you keep blowing like this, you'll catch a cold tomorrow. I have a schedule next week; if I get sick, will you cover for me?"

Su Yu didn't reply.

He hailed a taxi. Shirley opened the car door, got in, rolled down the window, and leaned out.

"I'll be waiting for you to have oden tomorrow." She smiled, her eyes crinkling, not caring that her hair was flying wildly in the wind.

"understood."

"Give me a couple more skewers of fish cakes; you didn't give me enough last time."

"Okay. Are two skewers enough?"

"Three strings."

"Okay. Three skewers."

The taillights blended into the traffic, turned a corner, and disappeared.

Su Yu stood by the roadside, the night wind carrying the fishy smell of the Han River. He looked down at his hand; the hair tie had been lying in his pocket for days. He hadn't found it; it was on Kim Min-joon's desk, and he'd just casually slipped it into his pocket. He didn't know why he'd taken it; he probably just felt he'd need it someday.

Su Yu turned and walked back. The streetlights cast a long shadow over him, and the image in his mind lingered on the few seconds when Shirley was tying her hair up—a small patch of skin on the back of her neck was exposed when she pulled her hair back, so white it was almost blinding.

As I walked to the entrance of the semi-basement, my phone vibrated.

Shirley: I'm home.

Su Yu: Hmm.

Shirley: I'm very happy today.

Su Yu stared at the screen for a few seconds and typed: Me too.

A smiley face replied instantly.

Su Yu pushed open the door and entered the room. The ceiling was still dripping water tirelessly. He sat on the edge of the bed, took off his shoes, and lay down on his back. The bed creaked under the weight of the water.

The phone lit up again.

Sulli: Goodnight, Oppa.

Su Yu's heart skipped a beat when he saw those two words.

He replied "Goodnight," then thought for a moment and added: "Tomorrow, there will be plenty of oden, three skewers of fish cake, and two skewers of rice cake."

Shirley: You said it.

Su Yu: I said it.

Shirley sent a smiley face.

Su Yu tucked her phone under her pillow. There, pressed down, was another spare black hair tie—the same one from the bag on Kim Min-jun's desk—he'd taken two. One he'd given to Sulli, and he'd kept the other for himself, unsure what to do with it. Now he knew.

Someone was playing music outside the window. I couldn't make out the lyrics, but the slow, melodious tune drifted in on the night breeze.

Su Yu closed his eyes and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

This messed-up life doesn't seem so bad after all.